Emmanuelle

I was thirteen, living in a dead-end town by the sea
Nothing much ever happened, until Summer 1993
The school French exchange, it was meant to be
Her name? Emmanuelle

She was the most sophisticated girl I'd ever met
She wore rimless glasses and smoked Gauloise cigarettes
She said life was short, too short for regrets
She was, quite simply

The most beautiful girl in the world
Shining like diamonds and pearls
A language that I longed to learn
But I never found the right words
To tell Emmanuelle

She quoted the philosophies of Nietzsche and Kant
Her favourite film was Au Revoir Les Enfants
She listened extensively to the music of Serge Gainsborough
Her taste? Impeccable

The boys and the girls would cast furtive glances
The bravest among us would make tentative advances
Like the opening salvos in a game of love tennis
But I never made my move

The most beautiful girl in the world
Shining like diamonds and pearls
A language that I longed to learn
But I never found the right words
To tell, Emmanuelle

And oh Emmanuelle, can't you tell
That I fell in love with you
You cast a spell, Emmanuelle
Did you want me too?
I never knew

The other day, I thought of Emmanuelle
I wondered about the woman she might have become
So I googled her name and there she was, the same but different
She lives in a slightly unfashionable suburb of Lille
She works in the planning department of the local government
Her Facebook page lists her interests, they include
Badminton, sudoku and the collection of rare WWII memorabilia
She's single, still, and has a Bichon Frise called Fifi
But as I turned off my laptop and smiled
I knew she would always be

The most beautiful girl in the world
Shining like diamonds and pearls
A language that I longed to learn
But I never found the right words
Ma belle, Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle, Emmanuelle, Emmanuelle